January 2021 Notes on Sandy Hill in the new Central and East Downtown Core Secondary Plan (CEDCSP) • In the draft new Official Plan, Sandy Hill is part of the newly designated Downtown Core Transect. Sandy Hill's Secondary Plan (originally conceived in 1979) has been folded into a new Central and East Downtown Core Secondary Plan. • In general, the role of secondary plans is to provide the strategic planning direction to guide future development and redevelopment. While the Official Plan contains policy direction, SPs begin to use more specific geographic and neighbourhood references to guide future development and redevelopment. A further level of direction is found in Community Design Plans (such as the one for Upper Rideau). • The new CEDCSP has amalgamated Sandy Hill, Centretown, and seven additional downtown areas into one document. The Centretown and Escarpment chapters in the Plan are markedly more developed as they have been through a community design process in recent years. • Action Sandy Hill’s (ASH) position is that the Sandy Hill section of the new CEDCSP, in particular compared to its compatriots with community design plans, fails to: o Acknowledge and describe the existing conditions, pressures, and challenges of the plan area (for example, that Sandy Hill is a near-campus neighbourhood to uOttawa, that it has suffered degradation of its built environment); o Articulate the cultural and heritage character and values of the plan area (for example, the entire plan area needs to be assessed for its heritage character–not just the area north of Osgoode–with properties identified as contributing or non- contributing; o Articulate a community vision for SH, one that: § promotes walkable, human-scale development, amenities, and infrastructure, § preserves SH's heritage fabric and character, § manages growth in ways that accommodate diversity and ensure environmental sustainability, § elevates performance standards both in terms of aesthetic and functionality/liveable design, § encourages the conservation/restoration of contributing properties, and § promotes the redevelopment of non-contributing or non-sustainable 1 January 2021 properties; and, o Recognize that diversity (housing mix) is critical to the preservation/regeneration of Sandy Hill and thus fails to articulate design standards that provide for a mix of housing typologies. • Other more specific comments and questions can be found in the table below. • Action Sandy Hill requests 1) a City-organized community visioning exercise be held, to enable its residents to articulate their vision for this neighbourhood’s future (re-)development, and 2) a character area study that will articulate the cultural and heritage character and values of the plan area. These two actions will contribute to filling the gaps about Sandy Hill in the existing CEDCSP. 2 January 2021 Comparison and comment table, as a basis for discussion at a January 19, 2021 community meeting to be held with City Planning staff on the draft new Official Plan Sandy Hill in the new Central and East Former SH Secondary Plan ASH comments Downtown Core Secondary Plan Location: Character Area: Strathcona Heights and Robinson Village Sandy Hill is the area bounded by Besserer 4.7.1 - generally bounded by Besserer have been assigned to the Lees Station St to the north, the Rideau River to the east, Street to the north, the Rideau River to the character area in the new Central and East 417 and Henderson Street off-ramp to the east, Mann Avenue to the south, and King Downtown Core Secondary Plan. south, Nicholas St, the Rideau Canal and a Edward Avenue to the west. It also line joining the two to the west; and Laurier encompasses Sandy Hill West between Ave and King Edward Ave to the northwest. Waller Street, Stewart Street, Cumberland Street, Laurier Avenue, King Edward Avenue, and Besserer Street. It excludes any lots adjacent to Waller Street and Besserer Street which are in the Downtown Rideau Area. 5.3.1 General: 4.7.1.2 General Objectives: No change in the wording of this section a) To preserve and enhance Sandy Hill • To preserve and enhance Sandy Hill other than the removal of the reference to as an attractive residential as an attractive residential Amendment 19. This amendment was neighbourhood, especially for family neighbourhood, especially for family added to the Sandy Hill Secondary Plan in living. living. 2005. b) To provide for a broad range of • To provide for a broad range of socio-economic groups. socio-economic groups. c) To accept a modest increase in • To accept a modest increase in What does modest increase in population population, primarily as a way of population, primarily as a way of mean? This increase should be specified housing some of the growth in the housing some of the growth in the either as a percentage or an exact number. Central Area labour force. Central Area labour force. d) To maintain and co-ordinate both the • To maintain and co-ordinate both the local functions of Sandy Hill local functions of Sandy Hill (primarily as a residential (primarily as a residential neighbourhood) and the functions neighbourhood) and the functions that serve a wider area (e.g., the that serve a wider area (e.g., the mainstreet mixed uses area along mainstreet mixed uses area along Rideau Street and the University of Rideau Street and the University of 3 January 2021 Sandy Hill in the new Central and East Former SH Secondary Plan ASH comments Downtown Core Secondary Plan Ottawa). [Amendment 19, January Ottawa). 12, 2005] 5.3.2 Land Use: 4.7.3 Land Use and Built Form: Minor changes in wording – primarily to 1 a. Residential Land Use 4.7.3.1 Local Neighbourhood reflect the language in the draft OP. i. To preserve and enhance the 98) Preserve and enhance a stock of good existing stock of good housing. housing. ii. To distinguish among types of new 99) Distinguish among types of new housing on the basis of scale, and to housing on the basis of scale, and to locate locate the different types in areas the different types in areas appropriate to appropriate to them. them. iii. To provide a wide variety of housing, There is no mention of housing for students including accommodation for low- 100) Provide a wide variety of housing, in 100). Yet almost all of the redevelopment income people, the elderly, the including accommodation for low-income in Sandy Hill over the past 10 years has handicapped and others with special people, the elderly, the handicapped and been for students. This omission detracts needs. others with special needs. from the credibility of the document as a iv. To permit public uses that secondary plan for Sandy Hill. complement the residential ones in 101) Permit uses that complement the type and intensity. residential ones in type and intensity. v. For the lands known municipally as v. The reference to 85 Range has been 85 Range Road, designated as High removed in the new SH Secondary Plan as Profile on Schedule J, the maximum the 10-storey building has been building height is 10 storeys and the constructed. tenth storey may only be used for amenity space and mechanical equipment. [Amendment 87, July 14, 2010] vi. A mix of institutional, commercial, and residential uses that serve both 102) A mix of institutional, commercial, and Why is the reference to 261, 265, 271, 275, the University and the adjacent residential uses that serve both the 281 Laurier Ave and 400 Friel continued in residential community will be University and the adjacent residential no. 102? This residence has already been permitted at 261, 265, 271, 275, and community will be permitted at 261, 265, built. 281 Laurier Avenue East and 400 271, 275, and 281 Laurier Avenue East and Friel Street. [Amendment #134, 400 Friel Street. OMB File #PL140348, November 12, 2015] vii. For the lands known municipally as Section vii of the old plan is not included in 213, 217, 221 and 223 Henderson the new plan, The new residence on the 4 January 2021 Sandy Hill in the new Central and East Former SH Secondary Plan ASH comments Downtown Core Secondary Plan Avenue and 65 Templeton Street, corner of Henderson and Templeton (65 small-scale commercial uses are Templeton) has been built. permitted. [Amendment #205, March 30, 2018] viii. The lands municipally known as 315 315 Chapel is part of the allSaints property. Chapel Street shall be recognized 103) The lands municipally known as 315 as a Design Priority Area, and a mix Chapel Street shall be recognized as a of community and commercial uses Design Priority Area, and a mix of that serve the Sandy Hill community community and commercial uses that serve will be permitted on the site. the Sandy Hill community will be permitted [Amendment #207, April 26, 2018] on the site. b. Commercial Land Use 4.7.3.2 Commercial Uses i. To provide for small-scale shopping 104) Provide for small-scale shopping areas areas that serve the immediate that serve the immediate residential sector residential sector and to have them and to have them distributed generally distributed generally throughout throughout Sandy Hill. Sandy Hill. ii. To locate shops serving a wider 105) Locate commercial uses serving a market in areas where they will be wider market in areas where they will be readily accessible and will least readily accessible and will least affect the affect the residential environment. residential environment. 106) Laurier Avenue East is designated as Sections 106 – 108 are new. Laurier Ave. a Minor Corridor in the Official plan. A mix of was supposed to be residential. However, it institutional, small-scale commercial and is evolving into a mixed-use corridor. residential uses that serve both the Prime Minister's Row includes a number of University and the adjacent residential streets in Sandy Hill.